Mythimna / Leucania / Senta

All these species were previously placed in Genus Mythimna and it seems sensible to treat them together here.Features which help to distinguish the Leucanine wainscots from each other are: forewing ground colour; presence and form of antemedian and postmedian lines; presence of a central white mark within or representing the kidney mark; white lining of the veins; black forewing dusting and streaks; hindwing colour and markings; and in a few species forewing and hindwing underside colour. Forewing lengths are given in parenthesis.

Prominent brown crosslines are present in M.turca (Double Line) (18-23mm) and M.conigera (Brown-line Bright-eye) (15-17mm). M.turca is larger than all other Mythimnas except M.unipuncta (White-speck), has a rich brown forewing ground colour and a narrow white kidney mark. M.conigera has an orange-brown forewing ground colour, an angulate antemedian line and a white mark in the dorsal part of the kidney mark. M.vitellina (Delicate) (12-14mm) has narrow but continuous scalloped antemedian and postmedian lines and it is the only Mythimna to show a subterminal line, however the strength of these lines is very variable and they may be difficult to discern. Forewing ground colour ranges from pale buff to orange; kidney and oval marks may or may not be apparent.

M.turca (Double Line); forewing

M.conigera (Brown-line bright-eye); forewing

M.vitellina (Delicate); forewing

​M.ferrago (Clay) (15-18mm) and M.albipuncta (White-point) (14-17mm) are distinct from all remaining species in showing a white spot in place of the kidney mark (the rest of the kidney mark is not usually discernible) AND no white or black forewing streaks. In M.ferrago the spot is whitish, small (and may be hard to see) and elliptical or tear-drop-shaped; in M.albipuncta the spot is bright white, round and prominent. In both these species the forewing ground colour is brown of a variable shade and the male has a black ventral band at the base of the abdomen (as do males of the other two members of subgenus hyphilare - M.littoralis and M.l-album, and so does L.loreyi). M.ferrago usually shows a dotted postmedian line, M.albipuncta shows a pale proximal border to a poorly marked antemedian line and a pale distal border to a poorly marked postmedian line. Both have a mid-grey to dark grey hindwing.M.unipuncta (White-speck) (18-21mm) also has a small white mark in the centre of the forewing; this mark is often part of a distinct white vein. The forewing ground colour is pale to dark sandy brown, the forewing apex is strongly pointed and there is a dark apical streak; hindwing dark smoky-brown. M.putrescens also shows a small white forewing spot (see below)

M.ferrago (Clay); forewing

M.albipuncta (White-point); forewing

M.unipuncta (White-speck); forewing

​Three species show a distinctive black median basal streak (and also see M.impura):M.l-album (L-album Wainscot) (15-16mm) has a distinctive white 'L' shape in the centre of the forewing (the mark is on the veins along the dorsal and distal margins of the discal cell). It also shows white lining of the veins leading from the 'L' mark to the termen; an oblique pale apical dash; contrastingly pale costal stripe; hindwing brownish-white with brown veins.L.comma (Shoulder-striped Wainscot) (16-19mm) also has the veins along the dorsal and distal margins of the discal cell marked in white, but in this case the white marking is continued along the vein to the wing base; and a long and prominent black basal streak lines its dorsal margin (the 'shoulder-stripe'). Forewing ground colour greyish-brown or dull straw; several interneural black streaks in apical third of forewing; pale costal stripe; hindwing brown. M.impura has similar markings but its basal streak is not as bold and its hindwing smoky grey.L.putrescens (Devonshire Wainscot) (14-17mm) shows a small white spot in place of the kidney mark; central vein not prominently white-lined; curved dotted postmedian line; hindwing unmarked white.

M.l-album (L-album Wainscot); forewing

L.comma (Shoulder-striped Wainscot); forewing

​M.pallens (Common Wainscot) (14-17mm) has either a pale straw or a reddish brown forewing ground colour; postemedian line of black dots may or may not be present; forewing veins generally white-lined; hindwing usually whitish, sometimes lightly dusted with grey and occasionally extensively grey.M.favicolor (Mathew's Wainscot) (16-18mm) has the same shape as M.pallens (and some believe it to be a saltmarsh variant of M.pallens). It usually has a sandy-orange forewing ground colour; the veins are not conspicuously white-marked; postmedian line of dots consistently present.M.impura (Smoky Wainscot) (14-18mm) and M.straminea (Southern Wainscot) (14-18mm) can be very similar to M.pallens, but they have a different forewing shape - in M.pallens the forewing base is narrower and the termen makes a steeper angle with costa; M.straminea has a straighter costa and a more pointed apex than M.pallens or M.impura. M.impura has a straw forewing ground colour; the central vein is white-marked and bordered on its dorsal side with a blackish streak; there may be additional fine black interneural streaks in the terminal part of the forewing; hindwing smoky grey, but sometimes only lightly dusted with grey. Doubtful specimens can be identified by viewing the underside of the forewing which is extensively dusted with blackish scales in M.impura and largely white in M.pallens (and M.straminea). The forewing markings of M.impura can also be similar to L.comma (see above) though the basal streak is not as strong and the distal margin of the discal cell is not white-lined in M.impura (the short part of the 'L' of M.l-album).M.straminea has a whitish or greyish-straw forewing ground colour; a diffuse brownish streak runs along the dorsal margin of the central vein; variable dotted postmedian line; hindwing whitish with veins dark-lined and a dark dashed median line (which may be faint). Both M.impura and M.straminea show a dark central spot on the hindwing underside which is usually not present in M.pallens. Having said all that, I usually find the easiest way to recognise M.straminea is by looking at it head-on when it appears to be wearing a headband - due to narrow dark lines across the patagia.